Utility Strategy Podcast

On our nineteenth episode, Sean McConnel of Bigman Geophysical gives us an expert's view on GPR as a nondestructive method of subsurface investigation:

• what it can (and can't) do

• when and where it works best

• and how it can provide incredible value at very low cost by detecting utilities in the early project phases.

Sean McConnel is a Senior Project Manager at Bigman Geophysical, where he oversees geophysical projects from around the world that call for all kinds of non-destructive testing: on-site analysis and consultation, back-end data processing, equipment, training and support. Sean is a geophysical archaeologist, currently defending his PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He has been deployed to construction sites, roadworks, cemeteries, and other locations at which subsurface features require expert location and analysis. As he likes to say, “An archaeologist might seem to be an odd choice for a construction project, but when you need a specialist at finding manmade objects underground, that’s us.”

Host: David Horesh (Director of Marketing)

Joe Alvarez is Project Manager in the Alice Area Office, Corpus Christi District of Texas Department of Transportation. He serves as the utility coordinator for the jurisdiction and Access Management Reviewer to compile documentation for approval of all residential, farm and commercial access permits. Joeis well-versed in the design and completion of PS&E for roadway and drainage improvement projects, routine maintenance contracts (RMC), HSIP (Highway Safety Improvement Program) project submittals, and SW3P plans and reviews, with extensive experience in project review for site development and the utility permitting process. He is also Chairman of the Younger Member Committee of the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Section Director of the ASCE Corpus Christi Branch. Host: David Horesh (Director of Marketing)

John P. Campbell, PE, SR/WA, M.ASCE is the Branch Manager for T2 Utility Engineers in Round Rock, Texas. John is a licensed Professional Engineer and worked as a utility construction superintendent and municipal utility design consultant prior to 27 years with TxDOT where he worked as a Utility Coordinator, as the Statewide Utility Engineer and for 17 years as the Right of Way Division Director. John has also taken on professional leadership roles as Chairman of the AASHTO Right of Way and Utilities Committee and a member of the TRB Standing Committee on Utilities (AKD 60). John is a founding member of ASCE/UESI's Utility Risk Management division, served as the 2021 UESI President, and also serves on the ASCE Standards Committee.

On the seventeenth episode of the 4M Utility Strategy Podcast, John Campbell tells us about his three decades in utility coordination and engineering, going from the public sector in TxDOT to industry leadership at T2 and professional insight at ASCE and AASHTO.

Host: Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Jim Anspach is a principal developer of the field of subsurface utility engineering (SUE), multi-ticket contract locating, consultant utility coordination services (UC) for DOTs, and the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute. He has performed many research projects of the National Academies, NSF, and EPSRC (UK). He developed and chaired ASCE’s Standard on Utility Investigation and Documentation, and served on many other international and national committees. Jim is currently an A.A. Professor at Iowa State University, developing educational and research capabilities in Utility Engineering. Somewhere along the way, the SUE profession began calling Jim “the Godfather of SUE,” with horse heads replaced by severed utility systems (we assume).

On the sixteenth episode of the Utility Strategy Podcast, we hear even more about the development of subsurface utility engineering from Jim Anspach, the “Godfather of SUE” himself!

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Jim Anspach is a principal developer of the field of subsurface utility engineering (SUE), multi-ticket contract locating, consultant utility coordination services (UC) for DOTs, and the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute. He has performed many research projects of the National Academies, NSF, and EPSRC (UK). He developed and chaired ASCE’s Standard on Utility Investigation and Documentation, and served on many other international and national committees. Jim is currently an A.A. Professor at Iowa State University, developing educational and research capabilities in Utility Engineering. Somewhere along the way, the SUE profession began calling Jim “the Godfather of SUE,” with horse heads replaced by severed utility systems (we assume).

On the fifteenth episode of the Utility Strategy Podcast, we hear more about the development of subsurface utility engineering from Jim Anspach, the “Godfather of SUE” himself!

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Nicole Metje is the Head of Enterprise, Engagement and Impact and Head of the Power and Infrastructure Research Group within the School of Engineering, and the Deputy Director for Sensors of the UKCRIC National Buried Infrastructure Facility at the University of Birmingham. She leads the Geophysics work package for the Birmingham-led Quantum Technologies (QT) Hub for Sensors and Timing , which focuses on the application of QT gravity sensors for a range of applications including as buried pipes, capped mine shafts, sinkholes, monitoring of water levels and carbon sequestration. In parallel, she works with industry on several Innovate UK funded projects to accelerate the development of QT gravity gradiometers, and develop market pull for different civil engineering applications such as railway assets, mine workings and leakage through earthworks.

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Jim Anspach is a principal developer of the field of subsurface utility engineering (SUE), multi-ticket contract locating, consultant utility coordination services (UC) for DOTs, and the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute. He has performed many research projects of the National Academies, NSF, and EPSRC (UK). He developed and chaired ASCE’s Standard on Utility Investigation and Documentation, and served on many other international and national committees. Jim is currently an A.A. Professor at Iowa State University, developing educational and research capabilities in Utility Engineering. Somewhere along the way, the SUE profession began calling Jim “the Godfather of SUE,” with horse heads replaced by severed utility systems (we assume).

On this episode, Jim Anspach tells us the amazing history of SUE: where it began, what it changed, and how it developed in relation to private and public services, and professional and governmental institutions, over the past few decades.

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Jason Martschuk is the Senior Vice President of Sales for ProStar GeoCorp and their flagship application PointMan—a precision utility mapping software application that pairs with GPS and electromagnetic hardware to capture, display, record and share subsurface data. Jason graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Geography (focus on GIS) with a minor in Computer Science. Since then, Jason has worked for Amec, a tier 1 EPC (now know as Wood PLC). From there he joined Hexagon/Intergraph and also spent a couple of years with Oracle’s Construction & Engineering Global Business Unit. Jason is also an avid hockey player (as are 3 of his 4 sons!)

On our latest episode, Jason Martschuk talks about showing industry leaders the benefits of data-centric models, from gathering information at scale to extracting incredible insights to optimize project management and asset lifecycles.The whole episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand: What are the biggest problems facing AEC companies? And what makes or breaks SaaS or digital products for users?

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati is the founding director of the Construction Safety Research Center (CSRC) and an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Tech. University. Among others, Dr. Al-Bayati contributed to the construction industry's understanding of how to prevent damage to subsurface infrastructure through several published peer-reviewed studies. Recently, He and Louis Panzer published a book about the One-Call system through the American Society of Civil Engineers.

On this episode, Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati talks about what he's learned from years of research on the ground, and what we need to fix moving forward.

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)

Steven M. Rienks, PE, PMP is Director of Engineering at American Surveying & Engineering, where he specializes in SUE QA/QC. He has more than 40 years of experience in engineering, construction, and project management on transportation, highway, and railway projects. His work includes large highway interchange and freeway projects for the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, as well as projects for the Chicago Department of Transportation and local municipalities.

On our tenth episode of the Utility Strategy Podcast, Steven Rienks takes us back to the basics: what is a project, how are projects managed, and how do utilities fit into the process?

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)